


Normal

by Archangel_dare



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Longshot - Freeform, Spitfire (mentioned), Young Justice: Outsiders Season 3 Episode 16 (Illusion of Control) spoilers, young justice: outsiders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 13:40:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19724806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archangel_dare/pseuds/Archangel_dare
Summary: Following Artemis' Thanksgiving Day fight with her mother, Will tries to help her talk out her frustrations. While Paula Crock is certain that continuing to be Tigress will only bring her daughter misery, Artemis isn't convinced that she has to make a choice between a normal life as a professor with a family or staying a part of the Team as Tigress. Maybe there's a hint that she can have both.*Missing Scene from Young Justice: Outsiders Episode 16 (Illusion of Control)





	Normal

**Star City**

**November 22, 23:15 PDT**

Artemis leaned over the back-porch railing of her home in Star City, quietly fidgeting with her hands. Brion and Dr. Helga had gone home after dinner and the girls had finished the dishes and were now on their nightly routine before bed. Artemis’ fingers ached for the tautness of a bow string, her usual go-to activity when she felt squirmy and felt like her skin was too tight for her body, but she doubted target practice was the best idea right now. Her picking up the bow again had been what had gotten her in this mess in the first place, or rather her mother’s refusal to understand her picking up the bow again. Artemis sighed and ripped her ponytail holder out of her hair, letting the blonde locks fall over her shoulders and relieving some of her headache.

Why was it so impossible for her mother to see that _Tigress_ was what Artemis needed to feel some sort of balance again? Sure, _Huntress_ had brought her mother pain and hardship during her run, but _Tigress_ was feeling like a God-send to Artemis, a way to scratch that itch of needing to be helpful, to feel like she was making up for the misery her family had caused and to define herself as a good person. _Tigress_ had helped her channel her anger when _Artemis_ could no longer do it for her. Artemis bit her trembling lip. But maybe that itch was also the reason why Wally was gone. That need for adventure when all Wally had wanted was a quiet, normal life with her. She had jumped at the chance to go undercover when Dick called her; she had barely stopped to listen to Wally’s reservations about how dangerous locking herself in a deep undercover, underwater mission with Kaldur was. She had grabbed her bow and met Dick in Bludhaven with Wally darn near needing to use his speedster abilities to keep up with her. She shuddered to think that maybe she had more in common with Jade’s flighty nature than she really wanted to acknowledge.

“Hey.” The deep baritone called from the house. Will closed the sliding glass door behind him and walked out onto the porch, resting his own elbows on the railing just a few feet from her.

“Hey.” She mumbled and pushed her hair back into her signature ponytail.

“The little monster’s down for the count. Seems helping Auntie Mouse with dinner and all the excitement was a little much.” He chuckled a bit. Lian had been excited for Thanksgiving all week and had been animatedly retelling him all of the foods she had helped cook, i.e. stir a mixture or hand an ingredient to one of the adults. She had barely been able to keep her eyes open when Will had dressed her in her pajamas and tucked her in. The 3-year-old was asleep before he had even turned out the light in her room.

“Good, she definitely needed her rest after all of that.” Artemis tried to smile, but it felt wooden. She looked up at the stars, hoping Will would wish her “Goodnight” and go inside. She should have known she’d have no such luck.

“Scale of 1-10, how big of a gasket did she blow?” He looked at her expectantly.

“An 8.” Artemis couldn’t help the light whine in her voice as she let her head fall onto her crossed arms. She so didn’t want to have this conversation tonight.

“Not bad for her.” Will nudged her arm and chuckled when Artemis raised her head to give him her signature glare. While her glare could shut anyone else up, Will was used to it after living so long with Artemis and her anti-morning tendencies before her first cup of coffee.

“Not bad at all.” Artemis let out with sarcasm. She bit her lip and looked off towards the garden of lotus flowers. Will watched her, waiting for when she was comfortable enough to share her full thoughts. He had learned it was best not to push Artemis or she would retreat further into herself and use anger and sarcasm as a shield.

“It’s the same old argument,” Artemis continued. “She thinks I should settle down and become a professor and have a family... You know, the normal life.” She bit out in frustration.

“But, that’s not what you want.” Will filled in softly. He tried not to notice the twinge in his chest at that idea. This was about Artemis, not whatever…thing that had seemed to be building between them.

“Yes! No; I don’t know. I want to be a professor and I want a family, someday, but I also want to help people, and being a part of the Team…I’m helping people. Helping kids who were just like me, angry and scared and looking for their own place in the world.” Artemis turned to him, leaning her hip against the railing. She knew Will would understand. He had been just like her at the time of the creation of the Team and after stopping the Light’s first attempt at manipulating the Justice League, albeit for different reasons, but still. He knew exactly what feeling like everything was unravelling out of control was like.

“And you think being a part of the Team is the only way to do that?” He pressed. He knew exactly what Artemis was saying. Of course he had gone down his own dark spiral, and it had taken Lian and his responsibility to her to pull him out. If there was anyone who could have helped him before he had reached that point, he hoped he would have latched on to that hope. Artemis was doing a great job with the meta-refugees. Violet practically hung on her every word, and Tara, though quiet, was starting to warm up to Artemis’ no-nonsense personality. Even Brion had made strides with his discipline, and Will was certain in the beginning that Brion would have burned down a city in a week. Artemis was at the center of that, on the ground doing her part to help them each through their own personal struggles.

“No… who’s side are you on?” She punched his arm but the corners of her lips twitch up a bit.

Will held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m just trying to help you get some clarity. We both know you aren’t going to listen to your mother’s argument on this one, and she isn’t going to listen to yours either.”

Artemis groaned and wrapped her arms around herself. “Ugh, you’re right. Why do you stick with us Crock women again?”

“It’s never boring, that’s for sure.” Will scratched the back of his head and laughed. “You Crock women can hold a grudge.”

“We aren’t that bad,” Artemis started to argue but then stopped seeing Will’s eyebrow raise in skepticism. “Ok we’re that bad.” They laughed softly, trying to be conscious of the late hour and their neighbors. It felt good to have a sort of catharsis; Artemis had been carrying the anger and guilt and apprehension since her mother left Thanksgiving dinner directly after their fight. She hated disappointing her mother, and she had already hurt her by not telling her about faking her own death before her deep cover mission. But Artemis also knew that she couldn’t live her whole life avoiding her mother’s fears and mistakes.

Once their laughter had died down, she looked over the backyard. She could have this: the picket fence, the jungle gym swing set, the pool, the family. She could have it for herself, but did that mean she had to give _Tigress_ up to get it? Didn’t she already have that life and the Team, even if she was picking up some of the pieces from Jade? Will took her hand gently, turning her attention back to him and their conversation.

“You’re strong, all of you. You’ve had to be. You know what you want, and you don’t apologize for doing whatever you have to do to get it.” His thumb gently caressed the vein on the back of her hand. His eyes sparkled warmly, promising her something that she wasn’t sure she was ready to accept, but that she also knew she wasn’t fully ready to say no to either.

“I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” She gave him a wicked smile, squeezing his hand in thanks. Will dropped her hand and struck a thinking pose

“I’m sure I’ve complimented your ability to kill me.” He let out and laughed again when she pushed him. The sounds of crickets and frogs filled the night air. He waited for a few moments then gave her a reassuring look.

“You’ll figure it out. And when you do, you know your mother is always going to be right behind you. And you have me in your corner,” he blushed. “…me and Lian I mean.”

Artemis nodded and smiled. He was right. She and her mother had had a countless number of arguments about the way she chose to live her life. And while her mother had no qualms about telling Artemis when she disagreed with her choices, she ultimate let Artemis make them…even if Artemis still didn’t hear the end of it. Sure that he had given Artemis as much support as he could, Will walked back towards the sliding glass door.

“Hey,” Artemis called softly. He turned to look back at her. “Thanks for sticking with us crazy Crock women.”

“Like I have a choice; I clearly must get bored without you crazy Crock women.” Will smirked. He had no problem liking women with strong convictions and a few jagged edges. It was easy to see that both Jade and Artemis had gotten their sureness and fire from their mother; it was one of the things he admired about both of them… when they weren’t driving him crazy.

“Hopefully Lian doesn’t get our temper.” Artemis shot back. Will winced at the thought.

“I am dreading her teenage years already.” He smiled and walked back inside. Artemis turned back to the backyard, at the seemingly normal, boring yard, in the seemingly normal, boring suburbs. She looked at the sprinkler pad that was actually a key pad for one of her and Will’s extra bows and a cache of arrow quivers and knives. She then looked at the pool house that held one of _Cheshire’s_ masks to explain to Lian when she was older. Artemis smirked. Normal was overrated, and so not her style. She went back inside, feeling lighter than she had all night.


End file.
